Three years after the release of the blockbuster Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits broke up. Mark Knopfler was overwhelmed by the pressure and attention that accompanied success.

He focused instead on solo projects, and formed a country band called the Notting Hillbillies, releasing one album with that outfit in 1990. That same year, Dire Straits reunited for a festival performance then decided to head to the studio to record another album.

That album, 1991’s On Every Street, ended up being their last. The band split for good following a contentious world tour that lasted nearly two years.

On Every Street has a reputation as a lackluster final effort, so I was surprised to find myself enjoying it quite a bit. The band is in fine form, and the tracklist mixes radio-friendly bops with deeply felt bluesy ballads. ‘Heavy Fuel’ and ‘The Bug’ are a blast (the latter became a minor hit for Mary Chapin Carpenter), and deeper cuts such as today’s SOTD are just lovely.

As a swan song, the album is a nice summation of what Dire Straits does so well.

Sadly, it was also the last time the band would record together. In later years, they reunited onstage for a band member’s wedding and a charity concert, but Knopfler in particular had no desire to reassemble Dire Straits. He even skipped the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, where the other band members did not perform.

Tomorrow, I’ll wrap up this quick deep dive with my ranking of the band’s six albums.